United Nations, Hurricane Maria, Martin Schulz: Your Tuesday Briefing

•As world leaders converged in New York for their annual gathering at the U.N., President Trump said the international body had grown too bureaucratic and ineffective, but gave no clue as to whether he would cut U.S. funding.

He is expected to stress “sovereignty and accountability” rather than joint action on global crises in his address to the U.N. General Assembly today. President Emmanuel Macron of France and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel are also giving speeches.

• On Sunday, German voters are widely expected to endorse Chancellor Angela Merkel in general elections.

That raises the question of what happened to her contender, Martin Schulz, whose chances of unseating her appear to have fizzled. Some analysts said that Mr. Schulz should have put more emphasis on his tenure as president of the European Parliament and less on his experience as a mayor.

That was the reaction of Theresa May, the British prime minister, to a 4,000-word essay by Boris Johnson, her foreign secretary, last week in which he staked out a hard-line position on the country’s departure from the European Union.

The article has reignited a fierce debate ahead of a policy speech by Mrs. May on “Brexit” on Friday, in which she is expected to strike a conciliatory tone, and the Conservatives’ party conference next month.

Above, Mrs. May in Canada, where she had talks mostly on trade with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She is scheduled to address the U.N. General Assembly tomorrow.

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CreditDoug Mills/The New York Times

• In Washington, our correspondents explored the aggressive tactics used by the U.S. Justice Department’s investigation into Russian attempts to disrupt last year’s presidential election. Above, Robert Mueller, the special counsel leading the inquiry.

Noteworthy

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CreditOliver Killig/European Pressphoto Agency

• Stanislav Petrov, above, was a Soviet lieutenant colonel when he helped prevent the outbreak of nuclear war by dismissing a computer’s erroneous warning that the U.S. had launched a missile strike. Mr. Petrov died at 77.

•After Sean Spicerpoked fun at himself at the Emmys, we asked the former White House press secretary if he regretted his briefing on the crowd size at the presidential inauguration. “Of course I do,” he said.

Tungsten has the highest melting point of any metal, at 3,422 degrees Celsius, making it useful in light bulbs.

Smartphone makers need tungsten because it helps withstand electronic heat in touchscreens. Armed forces need it for its ability to harden the steel used in missiles. Automakers use 25 percent of the global supply for their cutting tools.